Silent-film title
card maker.

1. Write one beat of the story. A line of dialogue, a change of place, or a small jump in time usually needs only a few words.
2. Download the PNG. The 4:3 image is 1920 × 1440 pixels; widescreen is 1920 × 1080. Import it as a still image into your video editor or presentation.
3. Give the words time. Place the card between shots and read it at a comfortable pace before returning to the action. Adjust the hold to your wording and the rhythm of the scene.

Want to see the difference between an intertitle and a subtitle? An intertitle replaces the picture for a moment; a subtitle sits over it. Compare the intertitle and subtitle examples, or see how three films use intertitles in The Farmer’s Wife, Manhatta and The Gold Rush.

Which frame should I download?

Match the card to your video project: 4:3 gives you 1920 × 1440 pixels; 16:9 gives you 1920 × 1080. Both are still PNG images with the lettering and background included. Set how long the card appears in your video editor.

If the border is cut off, fit the whole image inside the video frame. A different aspect ratio may leave bars at the sides or above and below. For a widescreen project, downloading the 16:9 card avoids cropping a 4:3 design to fill the screen.

Use a silent-film title card in iMovie on Mac

1. Download your PNG, import it into iMovie and place it between two clips in your movie’s timeline.
2. Select the image, open the cropping controls and choose Fit, then apply the change. This keeps the whole card visible. A Ken Burns effect would move across the image while the audience is trying to read it.
3. Adjust the still image’s duration and preview the cut at normal speed. Read the words aloud once; give a longer line more time.

Apple’s guides cover importing media and fitting the entire image. These steps are for iMovie on Mac.

Use a silent-film title card in Clipchamp

1. Use Import media to add your downloaded PNG to the project.
2. Drag the image onto the timeline between your video clips, where the card should replace the picture.
3. Select the image on the timeline and drag its trim handles to set the reading time. Preview the sequence and check that every word and the complete border remain visible.

Microsoft explains adding images and changing an image’s duration in Clipchamp.

Can I use the downloaded cards in a film?

Yes. Monocurator’s three original designs are free to use in personal, classroom and commercial projects. Credit is welcome, but optional. The download has no watermark. You supply the words.

Are these reproductions of historical title cards?

They are original designs inspired by silent-film lettering and print. They are not scans or reconstructions of a particular film’s cards. For the work involved in restoring real intertitles, read the BFI’s account of reconstructing Hitchcock’s titles.

Keep experimenting: 12 film terms, illustrated · Choose a first silent film